$  Dou. 


CONSTITUTION 

—OF  THE— 


United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy 


Article  I. 
NAME. 

Section  I.  The  name  or  title  of  the  Association 
shall  be  The  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy. 

Sec.  II.  Each  State  Organization  shall  be  known 
as  a  Division,  and  designated  by  the  name  of  the 
State  in  which  it  is  located,  and  each  local  organi- 


I 


x^ 


At 

jus 


zation  in  that  State,  as  a  Chapter  of  the  said  Divis- 
ion, to  be  numbered  consecutively,  and  any  name 
selected  by  such  Chapter. 

Article  II. 

OBJECTS. 

The  objects  of  this  Association  are  educational, 
memorial,  literary,  social  and  benevolent;  to  collect 
and  preserve  the  material  for  a  truthful  history  of 
the  war  between  the  Confederate  States  and  the 
United  States  of  America;  to  honor  the  memory  of 
those  who  served  and  those  who  fell  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Corlfederate  States,  and  to  record  the 
part  taken  by  Southern  women,  as  well,  in  t&e-untir- 
ing-  effort  after  the  war  in  the  reconstruction  of  the 
South,  as  in  patient  endurance  of  hardship  and 
patriotic  devotion  during-  the  strug-g-le;  to  cherish 
the  ties  of  friendship  among-  the  members  of  the 
Society,  and  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  sacred  charity  to 
the  survivors  of  the  war  and  those  dependent  upon 
them. 

Article  III. 
ORGANIZATION  OF  CHAPTERS. 

Section  I.  Those  women  entitled  to  member- 
ship are  the  widows,  wives,  mothers,  sisters,  nieces 
and  lineal  descendants  of  such  men  as  served  honor- 
ably in  the  Confederate  Army,  Navy  and  Civil  Ser- 
vice, or  of  those  persons  who  loyally  g-ave  material 
aid  to  the  cause.  Also,  women  and  their  lineal  de- 
scendants, wherever  living-,  who  can  g-ive  proof  of 


tilt  •-■..  ~ 


t" 


^ 


e  Y**jk  Collection 


v) 


personal  service  and  loyal  aid  to  the  Southern  cause 
during-  the  war. 

Sec.  II.  Each  State  Division  shall  furnish  blank 
applications  for  membership  to  be  used  throughout 
that  Division.  These  blanks  may.  differ  in  form, 
but  must  not  conflict  with  the  qualifications  of 
membership  as  set  forth  in  this  Constitution.  The 
mode  of  electing-  and  admitting-  members  may  also 
vary  with  each  Division,  provided,  ag-ain,  the  quali- 
fications for  membership  be  not  inconsistent  with 
this  Constitution. 

Sec.  III.     Seven  or  more  women  in  any  State  in 
which  no  Division  exists,  may  organize   a  Chapter 
and   be    chartered   on   application   to    the    United 
Daug-hters  of  the  Confederacy,  and  all  Chapters  sub- 
sequently formed  in  that  State  shall  apply  throug-h 
the  first  Chapter  to  the  United  Daug-hters  of  Con- 
federacy for  their  Charters.     A  fee  of  three  dollars 
shall  be  paid  to  the  United  Daug-hters  of  the  Con- 
federacy for  each  Charter.     Each  Chapter  shall  re- 
port annually  to  the  United  Daug-hters  of  the  Con- 
federacy, and  shall  on  the  first  day  of  each  succeed- 
ing February  pay  into  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  the  sum  of  ten  cents 
for   each  and  every  member  who  may  at  such  date 
be  in  good   standing-  on  the  roll  of  such  Chapter. 
Provided,  however,  that  nothing  in  this  Constitu- 
tion contained  shall  be  construed  as  preventing  any 
Division  or  Chapter  from  becoming  legally  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  the  State  in  which  it  is 
located,  should  it  desire  to  do  so. 


601374 


Sec.  IV.  The  United  Daughters  of  the  Confed- 
eracy suggest  that  the  annual  meeting  of  all  Chapt- 
ers be  held  on  Gen.  Lee's  birthday,  January  19th, 
or  if  that  day  falls  on  Sunday,  then  on  the  day 
following. 

Article  IV. 
ORGANIZATION  OF  STATE  DIVISIONS. 

Section  I.  When  three  or  more  Chapters  shall 
be  organized  in  any  state,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  first  or  Charter  Chapter  to  call  a  Convention  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  a  State  Division.  Such 
Convention  shall  be  held  at  a  time  and  place  to  be 
designated  by  the  Charter  Chapter,  at  which  Con- 
vention each  Chapter  shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote 
for  every  twenty-five  members  or  fraction  thereof  if 
such  fraction  be  not  less  than  seven. 

Sec.  II.  &ach  State  Division  shall  be  organized 
by  the  adoption  of  a  Constitution  and  By-laws, 
none  of  which  shall  be  inconsistent  with  any  of  the 
provisions  of  this  Constitution,  and  by  the  election 
of  a  president  and  other  proper  officers.  Any  one 
or  more  representatives  from  any  Chapter  shall  be 
authorized  to  cast  the  full  vote  to  which  such  Chap- 
ter may  be  entitled.  In  case  a  Chapter  is  unable  to 
send  a  delegate  its  vote  may  be  cast  by  proxy. 

Sec.  III.  From  and  after  the  organization  of 
such  State  Division,  all  Chapters  in  such  State  shall 
be  organized  upon  proper  application  for  their  Char- 
ters to  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy, 
through  the  Division. 


— 5— 

Article  V. 
CONVENTIONS  OF  U.  D.  C. 

Section  I.  Conventions  of  United  Daughters  of 
the  Confederacy  shall  be  held  annually  on  the 
second  Wednesday  of  November,  at*  such  place  as 
designated  by  the  preceding*  Convention. 

Sec.  II.  Each  Chapter  shall  be  entitled  in  all 
Conventions  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy to  one  vote  for  every  twenty-five  members 
or  fraction  thereof  not  less  than  seven,  provided 
that  when  a  Chapter  has  less  than  twenty-five  mem- 
bers it  shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote.  ~Any  one  or 
more  representatives  from  any  such  Chapter  shall 
be  authorized  to  cast  the  full  vote  to  which  such 
Chapter  may  be  entitled*  Any  Chapter  not  able  to 
send  a  delegate  may  send  the  vote  by  proxy. 

Article  VI. 
OFFICERS. 

The  officers  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy shall  be  a  President  who  shall  preside  at 
all  meetings. 

A  Vice  President,  who  shall  preside  in  the  absence 
of  the  President. 

A  Recording  Secretary. 

A  Corresponding  Secretary. 

A  Treasurer. 

All  these  shall  be  elected  to  serve  for  one  year,  or 
until  their  successors  shall  be  elected  and  qualified. 

In  case  of  a  tie,  the  President  has  power  to  cast 
the  deciding  vote. 


— 6— 

Article  VII. 
FINANCE. 

A  Committee  on  Finance  shall  be  composed  of 
five  members,  to  whom  shall  be  referred  all  matters 
of  receipts  and  expenditures. 

Article  VIII. 
CERTIFICATES  OF  MEMBERSHIP. 

Certificates  of  membership  shall  be  furnished  by 
each  Chapter  to  all  members  in  good  standing. 
Such  certificates  shall  be  supplied  by  the  United 
Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  with  their  seal  at- 
tached. These  Certificates  must  be  signed  by  the 
President  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confeder- 
acy, the  President  of  the  State  Division  and  the 
President  and  Secretary  of  the  local  Chapter. 

Article  IX. 
BADGES— INSIGNIA— SEALS. 

Section  I.  The  badge  to  be  worn  by  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Confederacy  shall  consist  of  a  represen- 
tation of  the  Confederate  flag  (stars  and  bars)  in 
white,  blue  and  scarlet  enamel,  surrounded  by  a 
laurel  wreath  with  the  monogram,  D.  C.  under  the 
flag,  and  dates  '61-,65  on  loops  of  bow  tieing  wreath. 
Divisions  and  Chapters  may  use  in  addition  a  badge 
of  their  own. 

Sec.  II.  The  seal  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the 
Confederacy  shall  be  a  reproduction  of  the  great 
seal  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  with  the 


-7— 


addition  of  the  inscription,  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy, on  the  outer  rim 

Sec.  III.  The  seals  for  all  State  Divisions  shall 
be  of  the  same  design  with  the  addition  of  the  name 
of  the  Division. 

Sec.  IV.  All  official  documents  emanating  from 
the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  shall  bear 
the  impress  of  its  great  seal. 

Sec.  V.  The  use  of  the  name,  seal  and  badge  of 
the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  for  busi- 
ness purposes  other  than  the  business  of  this  Asso- 
ciation is  expressly  prohibited. 

Article  X. 

AMENDMENTS. 

This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two 
thirds  vote  at  any  Convention  of  the  United  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Confederacy,  provided  notice  of  such  in- 
tention to  amend  be  filed  with  the  Secretary  at 
least  thirty  days  before  the  day  fixed  for  the  Con- 
vention. Upon  the  filing  of  such  notice  the  Sec- 
retary shall  forthwith  extend  the  same  to  each  of 
the  officers  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, and  to  the  representative  of  each  Chapter  in 
direct  connection  with  the  United  Daughters  of  the 
Confederacy. 

We,  the  Committee  appointed  March  30,  1895,  to 
revise  the  Constitution  of  the  National  Association 
of  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  and  reap- 
pointed November  8,  1895,  and  empowered  to  put  it 


— 8— 

with  its  amendments  into  proper  shape  for  printing", 
hereby  certify  this  paper  to  be  in  every  clause  a 
true  copy  of  that  passed  on  by  the  Convention  of 
November  8,  1895,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
grammatical  and  clerical  corrections  made  neces- 
sary by  the  amendments. 

Sig-ned,  Mrs.  Jno.  P.  Hickman, 
Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Parsley, 
Louisa  McC.  Smythe. 
Atlanta,  November  9,  1895. 


